Chapter Text
The decision was supposed to be very simple. Pair up, draw lots, move into the new dorms. Nothing dramatic. But Felix’s chest felt tight the moment the plan was announced—two people to each dorm, a shuffle of names, and he needed it to be Seungmin.
Needed, in the way his hands twitched when he wasn’t near. Needed, in the way his voice softened without him noticing whenever Seungmin said his name. Not that Felix would admit it—not even to himself. He told himself it was about comfort, they lived together for so long, were there for each other. Seungmin taught him so much about korea and Felix practiced Englisch with Seungmin. About how easy Seungmin was to be around. About how logical it would be.
Only, that Minho had the same idea.
The game to decide roommates turned into something between chaos and comedy. Cards were shuffled, numbers drawn, excuses tossed around. Felix played with the innocent smile everyone knew, but under the table, his foot nudged a discarded card toward himself. He switched it without blinking.
By the time the dust settled, Felix grinned at Seungmin across the room.
“Guess you’re stuck with me, huh?”
Seungmin only tilted his head, lips quirking. “You cheated, didn’t you?”
Felix gasped dramatically. “What? Me? Never. Maybe you did .”
" hmmm, maybe" Seungmin laughed.
Inside, relief bloomed. He’d won. He had him.
Moving in was a strange dance of cardboard boxes and bickering. Their dorm was really theirs, without any manager or Chan chiming in and suddenly every decision seemed monumental.
“What color should the living room be?” Felix asked, crouched in the middle of the floor with paint samples fanned out like treasure.
Seungmin squinted at the swatches. “Why are these all so bright? My eyes hurt just looking at them.”
Felix pouted. “It’s elegant, look how pretty this off-white looks and this cream!”
" Aren't they the same? .”
Their apartment came together slowly, like a 500 piece puzzle. They argued, lightly, about colors for the living room. Felix wanted modern warmth—honeyed yellows, soft cream—while Seungmin leaned toward muted coziness, sand and grays and blues. In the end they had compromises. A big Sand coloured kitchen with an elegant marble countertop. A huge cozy couch big pillows, Felix brought on his first teip after they moved in.
The kitchen became their truce ground. Neither of them could claim mastery over the stove, they both knew that, but they made the effort, together. Mornings were usually Felix’s—toast, fried eggs, sometimes pancakes ( but only if Seungmin was not in the building, pancakes together would result in PTSD) that leaned a little too dark at the edges.
Evenings belonged to Seungmin, who was precise and careful, though occasionally defeated by a recipe that looked simpler online. They laughed through the failures, ordering late-night takeout more often than they admitted to anyone else, especially Minho.
Routine folded around them quietly, a rhythm only they knew. Felix would hum while doing the dishes, Music plsying in the background, Seungmin would tidy everything up, they knew each other’s silences, being each others dormmates from before. They knew when to fill the silences and when to let them stretch. Some nights, they’d fall asleep on opposite ends of the couch, movie credits long forgotten on the screen, a shared blanket barely covering them both.
No one outside needed to know why their apartment felt warmer than it should, why their arguments over wall colors mattered more than they admitted. It was theirs: the small, tender world they built, cushion by cushion,, unspoken but understood.
And if Felix’s heart beat a little faster when Seungmin brushed past him in the kitchen, if Seungmin lingered too long over Felix’s laughter—well, those were things they kept tucked away. Some things just didn’t need to be spoken aloud to grow.
Felix didn’t realize that the way his chest eased only around Seungmin was unusual. Seungmin didn’t realize the way his eyes lingered on Felix’s smile was telling. To them, it was just normal. Just… what they were.
If anyone else noticed the way Felix had all but rigged the game to land Seungmin as his roommate, especially Changbin and Jisung, well....no one said a word. The two of them, oblivious as ever, carried on building their small world.
And somehow, it already felt like a happy house.
The camera light blinked red, and Felix plastered on his brightest smile. Sitting across from Jisung in the “2 Kids Room” set always felt more like chaos than an actual talk show. Half the time, they forgot what they were talking about.Half the time, Jisung turned it into a stand-up routine, making fun of Felix as his younger beother by being one day older.
" So when was the last time we saw each other?" Han asked.
Felix laughed: "Do you know what's funny? I have no idea."
Han remembered: " Ah, that was yesterday"
Felix shook his head :" No, outside of work.But that's probably normal. I mean, you hang out with your roommate the most, and I bet you eat most of your meals with Minho, too. It's not that often that we all have a meal together."
Han dismissed this. "Well, we actually don’t eat together at all. Each eats in his own room. We use the kitchen so rarely that we only recently bought a table and just because it was looking so empty."
Felix was absolutely shocked and asked several times, "Really? No, really?"
That was simply unimaginable in the happy house
Jisung grinned, mischief already glittering in his eyes. “And how’s living with Seungmin?”
The question was innocent enough, but Felix lit up instantly. “It’s good! We picked out colors, made the place cozy, had several trips to ikea. We cook or drink together almost every night, too. And i hate when one of us i alone at home”
Jisung blinked. “Almost every night?”
“Yeah,” Felix said, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “If I’m cooking breakfast, he’ll do dinner. Or we’ll try something together. Sometimes we even go grocery shopping just for fun.”
Jisung leaned back, staring. “…You two grocery shop. For fun.”
Felix tilted his head, confused. “Doesn’t everyone?”
At that, Jisung burst out laughing. “Mate, Minho and I barely even talk at home. I eat my ramen, he eats his dishes, and we call it a day. We’re… coexisting.”
Felix frowned, genuinely puzzled. “But… don’t you want to do stuff together? Like… make it fun?”
“That’s not how roommates work!” Jisung cried, waving his arms. “Roommates just share space. You and Seungmin are acting like—like—” He stopped, squinting. “What are you two acting like?”
Felix blinked at him, still smiling but completely lost. “ next to you like a married couple, but well like… friends?”
The way he said it was so matter-of-fact, so innocent, that Jisung just stared at him, mouth half-open. “Friends don’t usually coordinate pillow colors.”
“Yes, they do!” Felix argued. “You have to match, or the room looks weird.”
“Right,” Jisung muttered, narrowing his eyes. “And friends definitely argue over curtain patterns for three days straight?”
Felix opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again. He thought about Seungmin walking with him down the aisle of the Ikea store, holding up different shades of blue curtains like they were making a life-or-death decision. He thought about how proud they’d both been when they found the perfect match for the couch cushions and how they found a solution for the hundred of shoes they had....it would have been easier if the were the same size...when they could just use everything together...
He shrugged. “That’s just normal, right?”
Jisung gave the staff behind the camera a long, dramatic look. “No. It’s not.”
Felix laughed, brushing him off, though a tiny flicker of doubt sparked in the back of his mind. Normal or not, it didn’t matter—it was his normal. And honestly, he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Meanwhile, back in the dorm, Seungmin was already waiting with a shopping list in hand.
“Did you ask Jisung if he and Minho need anything?” he asked when Felix came home.
Felix smiled, shaking his head. “Nah. They’re fine. They don’t really do the shopping thing together.”
Seungmin’s brows furrowed slightly. “ Really? That’s weird.”
Felix grinned. “Right? I thought so too. They don’t even have dinner together ”
Neither of them realized they’d just proven Jisung’s point.
A couple of days later....
It was supposed to be a harmless interview. A little youtube- fanservice, nothing serious. The members sat in two rows, microphones clipped neatly, cameras rolling.
The interviewer smiled. “Do you ever miss your old dorm arrangements?”
Before anyone could answer , an aggressive " Nope" popped out of Felix's mouth.
Seungmin leaned toward his mic, answering easily. “Sometimes, yeah."
Felix’s smile froze.
Next to him, Chan made a noise like a tea cattle, explodimg with laughter.
The interviewer moved on smoothly, but Felix barely heard another word. He misses the old dorm? Is he misseing living with Minho? They always had their ow dynamic, the concept showed them as a divorced couple, but actually they were good friends and Minho would destroy everyone who hurt Seungmin. So was that it ?
The thought itched in his chest like an allergic reaction. He tried to keep smiling for the cameras, but inside, his head was spinning. What do you mean you miss it? Don’t we have fun? Aren’t we better now , just the two of us?
Later that night, back in their dorm, Felix couldn’t keep it in.
“So…” He stood in the kitchen , arms crossed, trying to look casual but failing miserably. “You miss living with Minho-hyung, huh?”
Seungmin, crouched on the floor unpacking their ordered chicken, looked up with a slow blink. “Huh?”
“In the interview.” Felix pouted, his voice sharper than intended. “You said you missed our old dorm. With Minho.”
Seungmin shrugged, turning back to the groceries. “Sometimes, yeah. It was different. Jeongin always left snacks around, Minho cooked better than you…”
Felix gasped. “Better than me?”
“I mean,” Seungmin said, deadpan, “at least his rice didn’t come out crunchy.”
Felix’s jaw dropped. “That was one time!” He stomped into the kitchen, hands flailing. “You don’t even like cooking with him, you like cooking with me!”
Seungmin raised an eyebrow, lips twitching like he was trying not to smile. “You sound jealous.”
“I’m not jealous!” Felix insisted, cheeks burning. He was sulking now, folding his arms so tightly it looked like he was holding himself together. “I just think it’s rude to say you miss living with other people when we’re literally living together now.”
Seungmin finally let out a soft laugh, setting a carton of milk in the fridge. “ Felix, you’re ridiculous.”
“I’m not!” Felix whined, but it was too late—Seungmin’s laughter only made him sulk harder. He turned away dramatically, muttering under his breath about “ungrateful roommates” and “how dare he miss Minho’s cooking.”
When the others heard about it later, Jisung cackled so hard he almost fell off his chair. “You’re actually possessive of Seungmin,” he wheezed.
“I’m not!” Felix repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.
But that night, when Seungmin slid a perfectly fried egg onto his plate and muttered, “Better than Minho’s, right?” Felix’s sulk melted instantly into a grin.
He still wouldn’t admit it out loud—but Seungmin was his. And he wasn’t planning to share.
The days went own, Felix' Birthday came and Seungmin transformed their apartment into a huge birthday lounge, full of baloons, flowers and the ugliest cake, a human being could bake. But Felix loved it. What he didn’t like, was that Seungmin was away on his birthday and afterwards he had to fly away to Paris. Several days without having dinner together. It sucked. But Paris fashion week was always fun.
The photos were basically everywhere. Felix at the Louis Vuitton fashion show, all styled up in a white jacket, his naked body peaking through, his smile as bright as the runway lights. And next to him—Lisa. Elegant, effortless, with legs for days, standing shoulder to shoulder with him like they belonged there. Together.
Seungmin didn’t expect it to bother him, why would it.... It was just an event. Just pictures. But the more he scrolled, the tighter his jaw clenched.
“Looks good" Jisung teased, leaning over his shoulder to peek at the phone. “Felix and Lisa— wow , such a nice looking power duo!”
Seungmin clicked his phone off with a snap. “It’s just photos.”
Jisung blinked. “...Right. We are not jealous at all.”
Seungmin ignored him, shoving the phone deep in his pocket. He didn’t like the way his stomach twisted every time he thought about Felix’s smile in those photos—smiles that looked a little too easy, a little too warm. Smiles that Seungmin had thought were his.
Felix, meanwhile, didn’t even notice the storm brewing. He came home glowing from the event, being flown it with a jet, still buzzing with excitement. “Seungmin! You should’ve seen it, the lights were insane. And Lisa—she’s so nice, seriously, you’d like her—”
Seungmin only hummed, flipping a page in his book without looking up.
Felix faltered. “...You’re not listening, are you?”
“I’m listening.” Seungmin’s tone was cool, too even. “You had fun. With Lisa.”
Felix tilted his head, puzzled. “...Yeah? Is that bad?”
“No.” Seungmin’s eyes didn’t leave the page. “Why would it be?”
But his grip on the book was a little too tight, his ears a little too red. Felix stood there, confused, wondering what he’d done wrong.
A few days later, Felix had finally time to watch the 2 Kids Room with Seungmin and Changbin. Felix curled up in the dorm smiling fondly at the familiar banter—until it hit him.
“I think,” Seungmin said, voice calm, “I could actually see a future with Changbin. He’s reliable. Easy to be around.”
Felix froze.
Something sharp and unfamiliar stabbed in his chest. He replayed it once, twice, hoping he’d misheard. But no—Seungmin had said it, casually, like it was nothing.
Felix pressed pause, staring at the frozen frame of Seungmin’s face. His stomach sank, a heavy ache he didn’t understand. Why does that hurt? he thought desperately. Why does it feel like…
He set his phone aside and curled into the couch, hugging a pillow tight against his chest. For the first time, he didn’t want to tell anyone about the ache. Not Jisung, not Chan, not even Seungmin. Especially not Seungmin.
Because how could he explain it when he didn’t even understand